How to suppress soil-borne diseases (fungi and nematodes) in vegetables and arable crops and how to enhance cross-fertilisation between different crops and agricultural systems?

Tasks:

Identify the main soil borne diseases relevant in the EU.

Identify the key elements that cause such soil diseases and examine how they interact.

Identify, assess and compare different IPM systems and techniques (Physical, chemical, biological and other) that suppress soil-borne diseases taking into account the cost-effectiveness in the different systems and crops and explore cross-fertilisation between different crops and agricultural systems.

Explore strategies for a targeted breeding of cultivars that are more resistant to soil-borne diseases.

Identify and compare alternative techniques for soil fumigation that are ready to apply or easily applicable in short term by the farmers, in the framework of the prohibition of the use of methyl bromide.

Identify and compare according to the respective arable crop alternative soil-borne disease suppression techniques that are ready to apply or easily applicable in short term by the farmers.

Identify farm practices that reduce the pressure of soil-borne diseases.

Identify fail factors that limit the use of the identified techniques/systems by farmers and summarise how to address these factors and explore the role of innovation and knowledge transfer in addressing these fail facto.